Habitat :Achillea ptarmica is native to Europe, including Britain but excluding the Mediterranean, east to Siberia and W. Asia. It grows on the damp meadows, marshes and by streams.

Description:
Achillea ptarmica is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in) at a fast rate. It is widespread across most of Europe and naturalized in scattered places in North America.

Achillea ptarmica has loose clusters of showy white, flower heads that bloom from June to August. Its dark green leaves have finely toothed margins. Like many other plants, the sneezewort’s pattern of development displays the Fibonacci sequence.CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

The name ptarmica comes from the Greek word ptairo (=sneeze) and means ’causes sneezing’

It is hardy to zone (UK) 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, self. The plant is self-fertile.Cultivation & propagation: Achillea ptarmica is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that prefers full sun and moist but well-drained soil. Propagation is by sowing seed or division in Spring

Achillea ptarmica yields an essential oil that is used in herbal medicine. The leaf is chewed to relieve toothache.Other Uses:
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Rock garden, Seashore, Specimen. Succeeds in most soils but prefers a moist well-drained soil in a sunny position. The dried, powdered leaves are used as a sneezing powder. Yields an essential oil that is used medicinally. The report does not say what part of the plant the oil is obtained from, it is most likely to be the leaves harvested just before flowering. The leaves are used as an insect repellent.

Known Hazards: The plant is poisonous to cattle, sheep, and horses. Symptoms are generally slow to develop, and include fever, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, weight loss, drooling, spasms and loss of muscular control, and convulsions

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_ptarmica
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Achillea+ptarmica

When you look at the science, it turns out your grandmother wasn’t so far off on some of those home remedies she used to talk about. For example, it’s really true that olives can help stave off motion sickness – but only if you eat them when the first symptoms appear. That’s because olives contain tannin, which works to eliminate the saliva that triggers nausea. Olives for Motion sickness–>

It’s also absolutely true that oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties, and that a finely ground paste of it can help soothe eczema. The neutralizing powers of yogurt and other probiotics also can help get rid of bad breath.

Gargle salt water for a sore throat, take a spoonful of sugar for hiccups, and chew on a pencil for a headache – they all have a scientific reason why they work.

And, although there are no studies to back up putting Vapor Rub on toenail fungus, enough people have reported success with the remedy to warrant giving it a try.

Everyone has some sort of stress in their lives. In today’s world many of us try to juggle a job, family life and much more. Juggling all these things can lead to stress and stress can be horrible to deal with because it affects every part of your daily life. These natural remedies will help you deal with your stress and make each day just a little bit easier.

1.: Laugh!.
Did you know that laughing actually releases a chemical in your body that will help lighten your moods? By being able to laugh about your problems you will be able to get a clear perspective on the issue at hand. Not only that but more than likely you will be laughing with someone else and taking out your problem with a friend will also help relieve your stress. What is the best part about laughing other than it being a stress reliever? It’s also free!

2.: Work-Out..
Working out is a great way to relieve stress. It allows you to get out the tension that is building up in your body and also gives you time to think about the issue more clearly. If you have an over load of stress in your life head over to the gym, out for a run or a walk to clear your head.

3: Snacks in your Refrigerator..
If you have stress you are likely going to want to snack since this happens to many people. Don’t reach for the chocolate candy bars, instead head over to your refrigerator. Celery, cherries and lettuce all contain chemicals in the that will help ease your stress so snack on them anyway you like to help chase that stress away.

4: Baking Soda and Ginger..
Everyone knows that a warm bath can help relieve stress. Take it just a step further and add a ½ cup of both baking soda and ginger. This will help make your bath soothing both in the water texture and the aroma given off by the ginger.
5: Hot Tea.
A warm drink always has a way of calming and soothing us. Choose a peppermint tea to gain a relaxing feeling that will help relieve your stress. If you don’t have pepperminttea you can always add a peppermint candy to any cup of tea. Sucking on a peppermint candy can also help relieve
stress on the go.

Stress is a natural thing in life. Being able to manage it is important and by using these natural home remedies to relieve stress you will feel better soon!

Uses
A fast growings nitrogen-fixing, heavy shade tree, recommended for reforestation and firewood plantations. Often planted as an avenue tree or as shade for coffee and tea. The wood is hard and strong, resembling walnut, and non siliceous. It produces a sawdust that may cause sneezing. Specific gravity 0.61; Air Dry Weight 39 lb/cu ft (ca 630 kg/cu m). The heartwood calorific value is 5,166 cals. Strong and elastic, the wood is used for cabinet wood, furniture and veneer, and serves well as firewood. The burr wood is prized for veneer. Bark has served for tanning. Foliage can be used as fodder. In the Sudan, goats eat fallen leaves and flowers. Bark containing saponin can be used in making soap, and containing tannin, can be used for tanning; used e.g. in Madras to tan fishing nets. It produces a gum which can be sold deceitfully as gum arabic. Host of the lac insect.

Its uses include environmental management, forage, medicine and wood. In India and Pakistan, the tree is used to produce timber. Wood from Albizia lebbeck has a density of 0.55-0.66 g/cm3 or higher.

Even where it is not native, some indigenous herbivores are liable to utilize lebbeck as a food resource. For example, the greater rhea (Rhea americana) has been observed feeding on it in the cerrado of Brazil.

Folk Medicine
According to Hartwell (1967–1971), the tree is used in folk remedies for abdominal tumors, in bolmes, enemas, ghees or powders. Reported to be astringent, pectoral, rejuvenant, and tonic, the siris tree is a folk remedy for boils, cough, eye ailments, flu, and lung ailments. The seed oil is used for leprosy, the powdered seed to scrofulous swellings. Indians use the flowers for spermatorrhea.

As per Ayurveda:
The plant is katu, sheela (sheelaveerya), beneficial in poisoning, derangedvata, scabies, dyscrasia, leprosy, pruritus and other skin diseases. Said to strengthen gums ,applied externally as plaster in leprous ulcers.

The root is used in hemicrania.-
The bark is bitter; cooling, alexiteric, anthelmintic; cures” vata “, diseases of the blood, leucoderma, itching, skin diseases, piles, excessive perspiration, inflammation, erysepelas, bronchitis; good in rat-bite.-

The flowers are given for asthma,

The root is astringent and prescribed for ophthalmia.-

The bark is anthelmintic; relieves toothache, strengthens the gums and the teeth; used in leprosy, deafness, boils, scabies, syphilis, paralysis, weakness.-

The leaves are useful in ophthalmia The leaves are good in night; blindness.-

The flowers are aphrodisiac, emollient, maturant: their smell is useful in hemicrania. The flowers are used as a cooling medicine, and also externally applied in boils, eruptions and swellings

The seeds are aphrodisiac, tonic to the brain; used for gonorrhoea, and tuberculous glands; the oil is applied topically in leucoderma.

The bark and seeds are astringent, given in piles, diarrhoea, etc.

The bark is applied to injuries to the eye..

The seeds form part of an anjan used for ophthalmic diseases.The oil extracted from them is ,considered useful in leprosy.

The powder of root- bark is used to strengthen the gums when they are spongy and ulcerative.

The seeds are considered astringent used in diarrhea, dysentery, piles. The flowers are emollient and applied to boils and carbuncles

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Definition:Cracked heels are a common foot problem that are often referred to as heel fissures. Cracked heels are commonly caused by dry skin (xerosis), and made more complicated if the skin around the rim of the heel is thick (callus). For most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem but when the fissures or cracks are deep, they are painful to stand on and the skin can bleed – in severe cases this can become infected.

What does a cracked heel look like:
The skin is normally dry and may have a thick callus which appears as yellow or dark brown discolored area of skin, especially along the inside border of the heel. Cracks in the skin are usually obvious.

Consider a tomato on the bench … when you push on it from above, it wants to expand out sideways … eventually the skin cracks. This is what happens to the normal fat pad under your heel … as your body weight pushes down, the fat wants to expand sideways and the pressure on the skin to crack is increased. If the weight is excessive (eg prolonged standing) and the skin is not supple (eg callus and/or dry) and nothing is helping hold the the fat pad under the foot (eg open backed shoes)

The skin is normally dry and may have a thick callus which appears as yellow or dark brown discolored area of skin, especially along the inside border of the heel. Cracks in the skin are usually obvious.

Causes cracked heels:
Some people tend to have a naturally dry skin that predisposes them to the cracks. The thickened dry skin (callus) around the heel that is more likely to crack is often due to mechanical factors that increase pressures in that area (eg the way you walk).

Other factors that can be involved in the cause of cracked heels include:

prolonged standing (at work or home, especially on hard floors)
being overweight (this increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand sideways – if the skin is not supple and flexible, the pressures to ‘crack’ are high)
open back on the shoes (this allows the fat under the heel to expand sideways and increases the pressure to ‘crack’)
some medical conditions predispose to a drying skin (eg autonomic neuropathy in those with diabetes leads to less sweating; an underactive thyroid lowers the body’s metabolic rate and there is a reduction in sweating, leading to a dryness of the skin)Some more causes are:
Obesity
Open backed shoes can be a contributing factor
Surgery to the lower extremitiesHeel Spurs
Mal-aligment of the metatarsal bones (the bone structure of the sole of the foot)Flat feet and high arched feet
Abnormalities of gait (walking)
Using excessively hot water is a contributing factor
Eczema and psoriases can also be contributing factors

Symptoms of cracked heels:
If the cracks are bad enough there will be pain on weight bearing, that is not there when weight is off the heel. The edges or rim around the heel will generally have a thicker area of skin (callus). Wearing open or thin soled shoes usually make the symptoms worse.

Treatment of cracked heel.Flexitol Heel Balmtreatment combines 25% urea formula with highly concentrated emollient base. With regular use, your feet will become soft and silky smooth to the touch.You may try this.Apply Vaseline (petroleum jelly) two to three times daily on the affected heel.
Apply a moisturizing cream twice daily to the affected heels, such as flexitol heel balm
Use pumice stone to reduce the thickness of the hard skin.
Avoid open backed shoes or thin soled shoes
Buy shoes with a good shock absorbing sole
Never try to pare down the hard skin your self with a razor blade or a pair of scissors!

Podiatric management of cracked heels: The podiatric treatment of cracked heels may involve the following:

Investigating the cause of the problem, so this can be addressed
removing the hard thick skin by deb riding it (often the splits will not heal if the skin is not removed). This may need to be done on a regular basis. Regular maintenance may be the best way to prevent the problem.
if very painful, strapping may be used to ‘hold’ the cracks together while they heal (a maintenance program after this to prevent recurrence is very important).
prescription and advice regarding the most appropriate moisturizer or emollient.
advice about footwear and self care of the problem.insoles may be used to alter the way you walk to prevent the thick skin from developing (these are indicated in cases of heel callus and are not suitable for all cases).
a heel cup may be used to keep the fat pad from expanding sideways. This is worn in the shoe and can be very effective at prevention if used regularly.
on rare occasions some Podiatrists and Dermatologists have used a tissue ‘glue’ to hold the edges of the skin together, so the cracks can heal.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.